Yeah, exactly. That's why the German Reich flag is used, and Yugoslavia is (was) still a kingdom.
The extremely perceptive of you will have noticed that Bulgaria and Romania had their present-day flags even during what was OTL's communist era.
If World War II Never Happened: A FIFA World Cup Timeline
- Thread starter NTF aka Seb
- Start date
The extremely perceptive of you will have noticed that Bulgaria and Romania had their present-day flags even during what was OTL's communist era.
In OTL Argentina team suffered a plague of injuries, and the worst part were by Pumpido (although it opened the door to Goycochea) and Maradona's ankle, eventually playing in one foot during all the WC. Argentina played that cup as they could not as they wanted. Only Goyco, Caniggia and Troglio ended that World Cup with no injuries. I insist that if Fernando Redondo would have no quit to the team for "continue" his studies as accountant - but three months later he went away to Tenerife, if Bilardo would have not dismiss at last minute to a 20 year old Cholo Simeone for Lorenzo!!! (whyyyy???) and calling Ramon Diaz (in OTL he was in bad terms with Maradona), the thing would have been different...but the epic of that is still in our hearts. In Argentina many people call that World Cup as "The WC in which we were happy", despite all difficults, and the runner up result.
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1990 FIFA World Cup - Group Stage
Part 56 - You Don't Win Silver
1990 FIFA World Cup - Group Stage
1990 FIFA World Cup - Group Stage
The United States' World Cup hiatus may have ended, but their win drought persisted. Bohemia's absence from football's greatest stage was slightly more brief, having last participated in 1942, and they hammered the Americans 4-1 in the opener. The U.S. also lost 2-0 to Argentina and 2-1 versus Austria, who were bummed out not to play their group matches in Vienna as Germany had declined the offer to co-host the tournament with them. Despite still enjoying superior support from the stands, Austria's deceivingly impressive 1-1 draw with Argentina was followed by a 1-0 defeat to the Bohemians. Argentina were bleaker than usual, but held Bohemia to a 1-1 stalemate when it mattered most. Nevertheless, it was the Bohemians who were unexpected group winners.
Group A of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Group B was erratic in a great way, with everyone beating everyone. First, Cameroon edged out Chile 1-0 to earn their first World Cup triumph ever. They also managed to defeat a promising Romanian generation 2-1 and advancement was sealed, even though the already eliminated Soviets brought the Cameroonians back to Earth with a 4-0 demolition on the final matchday. This ravaged goal difference resulted in Romania topping the group, as they had defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 and Chile 2-1. The Chileans edged out the Soviets by a single goal, but it wasn't enough to avoid finishing last.
Group B of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Hosts Germany had scores to settle and demons to exorcise. Anything but gold would be labelled a fiasco. Having lost the finals of both the 1986 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1988, this German team were widely regarded as chokers who were always great, but never the best. Also, despite becoming Euro champions on home soil in 1976, lifting the World Cup trophy was still uncharted territory for Germany.
Germany's FIFA World Cup record, 1930-1986.
The Germans started by sensationally hammering the usually solid Swedes 4-1 before brushing aside debutants Costa Rica 2-0 and edging out Colombia 2-1. An emphatic display, but the knockout stage was still to come. Sweden finished above England in the qualifiers but were arguably the biggest flop of the entire World Cup, losing 2-1 to both Colombia and even Costa Rica, who drew 1-1 with each other. In the end, Colombia's superior goal difference was enough to advance along with the hosts, but the Costa Ricans could be proud of their performance.
Group C of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
In fairness, Group D was one of the easiest constellations of teams, but Brazil were still a joy to watch, as they defeated a strong Serbian team 2-1, obliterated the debuting United Arab Emirates 5-1 and brushed aside the Ivory Coast 2-0, who also played at their maiden World Cup. With the Brazil loss behind them, Serbia easily advanced as the runner-up by beating the Ivorians 2-0 and the UAE 3-1. The Ivory Coast's lone goal in the narrow win over the UAE was enough to earn a historic win, but not for advancement.
Group D of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Contrastingly, Group E was highly competitive, even though Morocco didn't live up to their 1986 standards, as they lost every match - 2-0 against Belgium, 3-1 versus Spain and by a single goal when facing Uruguay. Instead, their northern neighbors across the Strait of Gibraltar, Spain, topped the group despite the goalless draw with Uruguay, as the Spaniards defeated Belgium 2-1. Belgium's opening 3-1 triumph over Uruguay ended up being instrumental to continuing their campaign.
Group E of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Egypt was back after a 12-year absence and kicked off their campaign by breezing past debutants Qatar 2-0 in their first-ever World Cup win. This was followed by a goalless deadlock with Ireland and the Egyptians had it all in their own hands heading into the last matchday. However, a single England goal sent the Egyptians home and The Three Lions on top of the table, as they previously drew 1-1 with Ireland and eased past Qatar 3-0. As Ireland avoided defeat and edged out the Qataris with a single goal, the Irish advanced behind England. Qatar was a parenthesis and the only goalless team of the competition.
Group F of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Italy started by beating Scotland 1-0, while Algeria held Korea to a 1-1 draw. However, the group took an exciting twist when Korea defeated Italy 2-1 in the next round. Scotland replicated that scoreline against Algeria. When it mattered most, Italy won 2-0 versus Algeria to top the group on goal difference, while Korea held a resilient Scotland to a goalless draw despite relentless attacking attempts. The Koreans also created dangerous chances, though, and advanced as runners-up.
Group G of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Group H could hardly be more polarized. The Netherlands and Denmark featured in a 1-1 deadlock, as did Trinidad and Tobago and debutants China. Denmark subsequently brushed aside China 3-1, while the Netherlands earned a surprisingly close 1-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago. The only hint of drama came on the last matchday when the Netherlands demolished China 4-1 to overtake Denmark - who simultaneously defeated Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 - as group winners due to goal difference.
Group H of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Let me know your round of 16 predictions:
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Credit to @Looper for getting the most predictions right!
Stay tuned for the round of 16 matches.
I did it! If only I didn't get cute with the Trinidad pick. Alas...
Bohemia-Cameroon
Brazil-Colombia
Spain-Republic of Ireland
Netherlands-Korea
Romania-Argentina
Germany-Serbia
England-Serbia
Italy-Denmark
Bohemia x Cameroon
Brazil x Colombia
Spain x Ireland
Netherlands x Korea
Romania x Argentina
Germany x Serbia
England x Belgium
Italy x Denmark
Brazil x Colombia
Spain x Ireland
Netherlands x Korea
Romania x Argentina
Germany x Serbia
England x Belgium
Italy x Denmark
Oh man, Argentina won a World Cup on Brazilian soil? Brazil is never gonna live that down.
To make a long story short, I think the difference would be negligible.
A decent number of African football associations were founded while their respective country was still a colony, for example:
- Congo-Kinshasa's in 1918
- Egypt's in 1921
- Morocco's in 1928
- Zambia's in 1929
- Nigeria's in 1933 or 1945 depending on who you ask
- Cameroon's in 1959 (despite achieving independence just a year later in OTL, I think their FA would have still been founded in 1959 even if decolonisation was delayed)
Because of this, achieving independence would not necessarily accelerate the development speed of football there. There's also the precedent set by the Dutch East Indies at the 1938 World Cup, meaning teams can participate despite still being colonies.
The FAs of countries like Algeria and the Ivory Coast were founded the same year as they gained independence, while Tunisia's FA was founded a year later. In cases like these, I think the development of football would be marginally stagnated due to decolonisation being delayed by a couple of years in TTL.
However, I still believe Tunisia, Algeria and the Ivory Coast would have become good enough to participate at the 1978, 1982 and 1990 World Cups respectively, especially given TTL's earlier expansions.
1990 FIFA World Cup - Round of 16
Part 57 - Skill of the Irish
1990 FIFA World Cup - Round of 16
1990 FIFA World Cup - Round of 16
Romania were in the knockout stage for the first in history, with the unenviable task of facing off against title holders Argentina. After a goalless first half, Argentina went in front shortly after the hour-mark, only for Romania to equalize a few minutes later. As had unfortunately become somewhat of a trend and the tournament, the match became stagnant and both sides appeared pleased with a draw. Risk minimizing and an inevitable shootout. Romania's goalkeeper failed to save a single penalty and Argentina were victorious.
The next match, between Bohemia and Cameroon, went against the disliked trend and saw many goals. The first was scored by Bohemia, who played in a World Cup knockout match for the first time in 48 years. Cameroon were even more inexperienced at this stage and saw the Bohemians double their lead before finding a consolation goal in the 55th minute. Ten minutes passed and Bohemia restored order by adding a third. Cameroon's second goal was too little too late.
Hosts Germany were undoubtedly favourites, but few would've expected them to be this dominant against a strong Serbian team, leading 3-0 before the opening 45 minutes were concluded. Serbia's 55th-minute goal was merely the mirage of a comeback, as the Germans found two additional goals to run out 5-1 victors.
Brazil failed to break down Colombia, who also created some dangerous opportunities, during normal time. However, the Brazilians took the lead in the 107th minute and doubled it a few minutes later due to a moment of madness by Rene Higuita. As a result, Colombia's goal in the 117th minute didn't send the match to a penalty shootout. Brazil were in the quarter-finals.
It seemed the match between England and Belgium was destined to reach a shootout, but a David Platt volley in the dying minute of extra time made sure The Three Lions advanced.
In Hanover, no such goal came in the tie contested by Spain and the Republic of Ireland. The luck of the Irish - or skill - sent them to the final eight of a World Cup for the first time ever, while Spain suffered yet another disappointing exit.
Nuremberg saw yet another low-scoring game. A lone goal midway through the second half was enough for Italy to advance instead of the 1986 semi-finalists Denmark.
Korea went in front after 51 minutes versus the Netherlands, who equalized less than two minutes later. A last-ditch defensive effort was miss-timed and resulted in a penalty in the 89th minute, which was converted by the Dutch. Heartbreak for Korea.
Let me know your predictions for the remaining knockout stage matches:
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Credit to @Looper and @MatthewFirth for getting seven out of eight round of 16 predictions right!
Stay tuned for the rest of the tournament!
1990 FIFA World Cup - Remaining Knockout Stage
Part 58 - You've Got Some Nerve
1990 FIFA World Cup - Remaining Knockout Stage
1990 FIFA World Cup - Remaining Knockout Stage
Four years earlier, Argentina had become world champions at Germany's expense. Now the two stood against each other in the quarter-finals. In Berlin. The home crowd got to see Germany exorcise some of their demons by beating Argentina 1-0 thanks to a goal late in the second half, but the title was far from won.
Following a goalless and surprisingly even first half, Brazil opened the scoring versus Bohemia through a penalty in the 50th minute. The Bohemians were granted the same opportunity 28 minutes later. Never in doubt, the match was tied and both sides appeared oddly content. Extra time saw some attempts to break the deadlock, but - fittingly - more penalties would decide this match. Brazil were initially clinical, but Bohemia were relentless in their quality and eventually won, advancing to a World Cup semi-final for the first time in history. Contrastingly, Brazil failed to reach that stage for the first time since 1966!
In Frankfurt, Italy opened the scoring quite a long way into the second half, but England found the equalizer in time. After some dull additional 30 minutes, another penalty shootout loomed. Italy ended up being too accurate for the English.
It long seemed the reigning European champions the Netherlands would earn a routine 1-0 triumph versus the surprise package Ireland. However, the Irish made it 1-1 deep into the second half. Yet again, a hesitant period of extra time was followed by a penalty shootout, in which the Dutch proved too potent for Ireland.
The first semi-final saw the Netherlands again acquire an early lead, but following a series of fervent equalization attempts, Bohemia levelled the score in the 65th minute. Unlike the preceding quarter-finals, this didn't slow the tempo down, despite no second goal being found. At least not until extra time, when the Netherlands made it 2-1 in the 110th minute.
In the other semi-final, Germany were truly challenged for the first time that tournament, as Italy took an early lead and defended it for the remainder of the half. But with a new approach inspired by the half-time talk, Germany showed improvements after the break, resulting in a 70th-minute equalizer. The Germans kept playing well despite failing to find the winning goal, and yet another penalty shootout would have to split them. Italy wanted revenge for Germany's Euro 1988 quarter-final win, but the Germans were victorious this time too.
Italy didn't leave the tournament completely empty-handed, though, securing bronze in a close 1-0 triumph over the overachieving Bohemians, who could arguably be even more proud of their performance.
The Netherlands were reigning Euro champions, having defeated Germany in the final two years prior. If that wasn't enough to raise the tension, Germany had lost the previous World Cup final and were seeking redemption. In Berlin, in front of tens of thousands of home fans. Despite the Dutch's recent Euro final experience, they hadn't reached this stage of a World Cup since 1974. After a goalless first half, the nerves were palpable - from both sides - but the Germans managed to contain theirs better and went in front after 50 minutes. This brought an added layer of security to their game and ultimately resulted in them doubling their lead in the 85th minute. A late Dutch consolation made things interesting for a couple of minutes, but Germany were world champions for the first time.
Knockout stage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
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Credit to @Mildtryth for nailing the quarter-final predictions, even Bohemia's upset against Brazil!
Stay tuned for the prelude to UEFA Euro 1992.
Forgot to ask regarding the state of Africa, what's happened with Ethiopia here? Given how fascist Italy lasted longer ITTL and their history with Ethiopia, I'm not thinking it's not all good unless there is a third(?) Italian/Ethiopian war following the fall of fascism in Italy here?
God knows if we get an encounter with the two somehow later on ITTL which could be quite spicy or battle of Santiago vibes but times 10 maybe?
God knows if we get an encounter with the two somehow later on ITTL which could be quite spicy or battle of Santiago vibes but times 10 maybe?
Don't be fooled by Italy's flag. They're not fascists ITTL anymore, though they remained so for a few more years longer than IOTL.
That flag has been used since 1861 (1848 if you count from when the Kingdom of Sardinia used it) and is not inherently fascist. Since Italy became democratic without foreign intervention ITTL, I could see the new government wanting to reclaim that flag from the fascists, even though you could also argue that they would simply use OTL's present-day flag.
So to briefly answer your question: By 1990, I think Italy and Ethiopia would be in similar situations as IOTL.
Prelude to UEFA Euro 1992
Part 59 - Sowing Seeds
Prelude to UEFA Euro 1992
Prelude to UEFA Euro 1992
The format remained unchanged, with the 16 teams being divided into four groups of four, from which each winner and runner-up advanced to a knockout stage to decide the winner. The joint hosting bid with Denmark, Norway and Sweden was unopposed and selected in December 1988. It was the first time more than one nation organized a major tournament, so the fact that there were three hosts garnered some criticism. However, UEFA regulations meant that only two of them could qualify automatically. Because of this, Norway had to earn their spot through qualification, as Denmark and Sweden were considered stronger based on their recent performances at major tournaments.
The Norwegians were ultimately one agonizing point away from qualifying, finishing behind the Soviet Union [1] and Italy. Vardar Macedonia exceeded expectations but ultimately failed to qualify despite sensationally beating England, and Darko Pancev being the top goalscorer of the entire qualifiers. The Faroe Islands' triumph over Austria was arguably even more shocking. Belgium and Bulgaria failed to qualify after a great campaign by Wales, who also upset Germany. Spain was the most notable absentee.
Seeding for the UEFA Euro 1992 draw.
For the first time in the history of the European Championship, all pots were seeded as opposed to just the top one. Despite never being officially announced, it’s speculated this was done to mitigate the risk of drawing unbalanced groups due to the tournament being hosted by unusually weak footballing nations.
Co-hosts Denmark and Sweden and title holders the Netherlands were automatically top seeded. To determine the other seedings, UEFA implemented seeding based on national team coefficients which were decided on a team’s points per game in the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 1992 and the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
Let me know your group stage predictions:
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[1] Yes, the Soviet Union has not dissolved yet. That's intentional.
Some interesting changes. Stay tuned for the group stage!
Edit: I messed up slightly with the seeding. Instead of basing the UEFA coefficients on a team’s points per game in the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 1992 and the 1990 World Cup, I did it for Euro 1988, not the 1992 edition. This has now been corrected and is the explanation for why a comment predicts a team to advance from a group it’s not even in. However, note that Bohemia and Portugal were the only teams that had to switch groups, and these changes does not affect the knockout stage our outcome of the tournament compared to what would have happened without my minor mistake.
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